Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The
two main characters from my latest release, The Morning After, are the subjects
of today’s interview. The Morning After is a novella from The Wild Rose Press
and is part of the Honky Tonk Heart Series.

Can there really be love at first sight?

Abigail Martin doesn’t think so. Unless the
sexy redheaded stranger she wakes up with the morning after her best friend’s
wedding is telling the truth.

Bobby Stockwood fell cowboy-hat-over-boot-heels
for the brown-haired beauty, and married her in an impromptu wedding
ceremony.Now he just has to convince
his new bride that the morning after can be the first day of the rest of their
lives.

But just when Abigail starts believing the
fairy-tale is real, she finds out exactly who Bobby is, and the walls of
make-believe start crumbling down.

And
now, straight from their mouths to your ears.

Me:
Hi Abigail and Bobby. Let’s start with ladies first.

Bobby:
But of course. That’s my motto too.

Me:
Tell me a little bit about yourself, Abby.

Bobby:
Ohhh, don’t call her Abby. Only her mother and her husband can call her Abby.

Abigail:
Bobby! You are so forward. Hmm…but it’s true, Brenda. Sorry.

Me:
I’m sorry. Totally forgot. Now something about you, Abigail.

Abigail:
I’m single, working at a job I’m not too crazy about and kind of tired of being
the bridesmaid and not the bride. And thanks to my mom, am reminded rather
frequently that the old clock is ticking. I’m not the gorgeous, voluptuous heroine you find in most romance…

Abigail:
In his eyes! I’m thirty-five and pretty much the girl next door in the looks
department. Now hush, Bobby, until she asks you a question.

Me:
Let’s go ahead and hear a little bit about Bobby from Bobby.

Bobby:
Thanks, Brenda. And she is pretty. As for me, I’m not too tall at five foot
seven but I like practically looking Abby eye to eye. I’m a redheaded cowboy
who does more corporate work for the family business than cowboy business. And
I like to have a good time no matter what I’m doing.

Abigail:
Now that’s stating it mildly. First off, he’s damn sexy. And to put it in Texan
terms, Bobby’s a hoot. And he believes in love at first sight.

Me:
How about you, Abigail?

Abigail:
Now? After the fact? Still not entirely sure. I’m a bit more grounded than
Bobby is, although lately I feel like I’m floating three feet off the ground.
He did sweep me off my feet, but then I’d had a few too many of those tropical
blitz things in cute pink and purple glasses – and you got to keep them!

Bobby:
Tried to drink yourself to a full set, huh?

Abigail:
No! I’m just not a drinker. Ugh. So he swept me off my feet…

Bobby:
Are you telling her you wouldn’t have been swept off your feet if you hadn’t
overindulged. Abby, honey, don’t tell me you were that drunk. I knew you were
more than tipsy, but not mind-numbing drunk. The night was all too perfect.
Damn near a double wedding with Sue Ellen and JT.

Abigail:
Snickers.

Me:
Would either of you like to tell me more about your story?

Bobby
and Abigail in unison: No!

Abigail:
There are twists and turns and lots of fun that the readers need to enjoy
without a hint.

Bobby:
Y’all enjoy now, ya hear!

4 Star RT Rating

There is only one word to describe
this novella — adorable! While readers miss the couple’s “meet cute” the truth
is that we don’t need to know what happened the first night they met because
Abby and Bobby’s entire relationship is heartmeltingly sweet. This is a morning
after that readers will not regret one bit.

The somewhat introverted Abigail Martin is
shocked when she wakes up the night after her friend’s wedding hungover with a
man in her bed. The surprises keep on coming when Bobby Stockwood introduces
himself — as her husband! Even though he is sexy, smart and charming, Abby
still feels rushed into the situation. So she kicks Bobby out, only to wish he
would have stayed. However, Bobby doesn’t take the rejection to heart. After a
string of not-right-women, he knows that he has finally met “the one” even if
she doesn’t believe in love at first sight.

5 Cup Coffee Time Romance Rating

This is a really fun read that is based on falling in love at first sight.
Abigail and Bobby are extremely likeable characters and they have great attraction
between them. The western setting is realistic and adds strength to the
storyline. The story flows very naturally and is well-paced; I even held my
breath towards the climatic scenes near the end. I heartily recommend this
book.

*Psst! Leave a Comment & You Could Win a Print Copy of Resort to Murder!*

I'm happy to have police Detective Ellie Fitzpatrick here to talk to us today. Ellie is the heroine of Resort to Murder, my romantic suspense set in Yorkshire, England. I'd love to have a photo of Ellie to share with you, because she's gorgeous, but at times like this I'm forced to accept she's not actually real. I don't send my characters birthday cards, either. That way I can pretend to be hanging onto at least a shred of sanity...Shhhh! She's here.Me: Good morning, Detective - may I call you Ellie?E.F: Of course. It's nice to be here. I haven't been out much since you wrote The End. <glares at writer>.Me: Er, yes, well - all good things come to an end. Now, I understand you were the victim of a stalker...E.F: Stop right there! I've never been a victim, and I don't like it when people like you say things that make it look like a woman is somehow to blame or helpless..Me: Oh, Ellie, I didn't mean...E.F: No, I'm sorry. I'm still pretty strung out after everything I went through. Everything you put me through.Me (making shushing noises): Ellie, we'll talk about this later, in counselling. For now, I just want to tell the nice readers a little about your story.

E.F: You know, why don't you let me tell it. Then we might be out of here sooner - I've a great guy waiting for me with a bottle of wine and a massage.See, folks, I was fast-tracked for promotion, partly because I have a university degree and mostly because I'm a bloody good cop. Sadly, that caused some resentment among my fellow officers. Being a woman in the police force means you have to work twice as hard as the guys, and still come have to cope with misogyny.Anyway, I made a major breakthrough in arresting the Sunshine Slasher - a nastier piece of work you couldn't wish to meet. The jury convicted him in less than an hour, the evidence was so good.Then this writer guy <disgusted snort> writes a book called Justice Denied, in which he claims that Sunshine is innocent.Next thing, I'm asked to investigate claims that some of my fellow cops are taking bribes from a nasty bunch of slime sucking bottom dwellers. I so did not want to have to do that - investigating one's colleagues doesn't make you popular at all!Suddenly, everything came crashing down in me - I was under suspicion myself for taking bribes after a huge sum of cash showed up in my bank account - money I couldn't account for. Believe me, now I know the pain of that, I'll be kinder to the next perp who claims he's being framed.Me: I thought you said you could tell this faster than I could...?EF: Yeah, well, I wasn't the one who had to cut 10,000 words out of this story when she was revising, am I?Me: That was artistic...E.F: Yeah, whatever.Anyway, after a lot of smart detective work, being very kind to the sweetest stray dog on earth, and having to totally revise just about all my belief system, I finally got everything figured out.Sunshine stayed in jail where he belonged, the sweetest stray dog on earth got to bite the psycho who was stalking me, and the man I really loved stormed in in the nick of time - I guess you had to leave it til the very last moment, didn't you? - to rescue me.Me: Okay, okay - now, wouldn't it be fair to say that you were also being wooed by two delicious hunky guys - one dark and brooding and handsome, the other smart and rich with looks to die for?EF: Yeah, and you took it into you head to make one of them a psycho creep. Worse, I hadn't got a clue. By the end of this story, I had to completely rework everything I believed about these two guys, about my ambitions - about so much that I'd taken for granted. I tell you, I doubted my own ability to make good judgements, both professionally and personallyMe: I am so sorry that you had to go through all that - but it was a happy ending, wasn't it?EF: Sure it was, after one of those thugs beat me up and a psycho tried to kill me because he was obsessed with me. Sure it was a happy ending. At least I got this great guy and cute dog...Me <deep sigh of relief> Well, thanks for coming in today and sharing your thoughts with us, Ellie, Maybe we'll see you again?EF: Not bloody likely. I'm busy writing a novel about a mean, unfeeling writer who is made to pay the price for ill treating her characters. <slams out of interview room>Well, friends, as you can see, sometimes a writer's characters can develop minds of their own and become a little too real.....Glenys O'Connell is the author of four romantic suspense and comedy books. Resort to Murder was published by The Wild Rose Press, and you can see it on Amazon or read an excerpt here on my website.Leave a comment about characters, romantic suspense, or this blog and your name will be entered in a draw to win a copy of Resort to Murder so that you can see what a nice person Ellie really is - when she's not under stress!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

When I first laid eyes on my
hero, Sigefroi of Ardennes chilled my blood. He stared me in the face from the
height of a stained-glass window, a crown on his brow, a scepter in one hand,
the other clenching a sword hilt. With reddish hair, hazel ayes, and a strong
jaw, he looked as intimidating as a wild lion... and he must have been in his
day. I had a chill, and not from the cool draft in the cathedral of Luxembourg.
It suddenly hit me. I was going to write about a real person, a historical
figure, a strong man who built a new country, and a flawed hero.

But he was oh so fascinating.
All I knew about him were dates, battles, and cold historical facts, but I
sensed such fire in him. Then I researched the local legends of the foundation
of Luxembourg and found the soul of the true Sigefroi... a man torn between
love and duty, between the church and the evil my immortal heroine represented
for the people of his time.

SEDUCING SIGEFROI is book 3
in the Curse of the Lost Isle series. Books 1 and 2, Princess of Bretagne and
Pagan Queen, start this saga in ancient Scotland, with King Elinas and Pressine
the Fae, and the childhood of Melusine. Book 4, Lady of Luxembourg, to be
released in the fall, will continue the story of Sigefroi and Melusine the Fae.

From history shrouded in
myths, emerges a family of immortal Celtic Ladies, who roam the medieval world
in search of salvation from a curse. For centuries, imbued with hereditary
gifts, they hide their deadly secret... but if the Church ever suspects what
they really are, they will be hunted, tortured, and burned at the stake.

Luxembourg - 963 AD - To
offset the curse that makes her a serpent from the waist down one day each
month, Melusine, exiled Princess of Strathclyde, must seduce and wed a mortal
knight, the shrewd and ambitious Sigefroi of Ardennes.

Sigefroi, son of the Duke of
Lorraine, suspects Melusine is not what she appears, but her beauty, her rich
dowry, and her sharp political skills serve his ambitions. He never expected
her to soften his stone-cold warrior heart.

So close to the Imperial
court, dangers and intrigue threaten Melusine. War looms on the horizon, a
Mermaid was sighted around Luxembourg, and Sigefroi’s bishop brother questions
her ancestry. If anyone ever suspects Melusine’s true nature, she will burn at
the stake...

"As always, Schartz spins a great story. It’s a
bit bloody and bloodthirsty in places... But that's part of the drama, and
Schartz certainly knows drama." Manic Readers 4.5 stars

EXCERPT:

“Is everything to your liking so far?”

Jarred by the deep male voice, Melusine snapped awake.
Sigefroi stood in front of her, one soft boot nonchalantly propped on the edge
of the wooden tub. The white of his tunic matched his teeth as he stared at her
with a wolfish grin.

Melusine glanced around in panic for something to
cover her nudity but her clothes lay too far away. She pulled up her legs in
the bath water and laced her arms around her knees. “How dare you intrude?
Can’t you see I’m taking a bath?”

Sigefroi’s bold gaze swept over her exposed body.
“It’s not as if it were the first time. You seem to like bathing in hot tubs as
well as in cold rivers.”

Shocked at his effrontery, Melusine released one arm
to point toward the door. “Get out of my chamber immediately!”

“Your chamber?” His grin widened. “This is the only
private chamber in the villa, and it happens to be mine.”

“Yours?” Melusine flushed in confusion. She knew the
villa was small but hadn’t really thought about all the details.

“I’ll share it with you, unless you want to sleep on
the hall floor with the servants.” The scowl on his brow returned. “And as the
lord of this place, I don’t take orders from my guests... or my wenches.”

Wench? Her solitary life hadn’t prepared Melusine for
such vulgarity. According to what she understood of men, however, she must not
give herself too fast but rather let Sigefroi grow hungry for her body as long
as possible. “I am no wench and demand to be treated with respect!”

He chuckled and effected a mock bow. “You certainly
have mine, my lady.”

Melusine managed a forced smile. “If you give me your
word to behave honorably, I could sleep on a pallet behind a screen at the far
side of your bedchamber.”

He rolled his eyes. “Truly?”

Melusine hoped her inaccessible proximity would work
in her favor. “There is enough space for the two of us.”

“Nay.” The candles flickered in his amber eyes. “You
don’t understand, my lady.” A slow smile spread on his sensual lips. “I intend
to take you to my bed tonight. After all, we are to be wed.”

“So soon?” Panic choked her voice. Impaired by
Sigefroi’s close proximity, Melusine couldn’t think. He wanted to consummate
their union tonight? She quickly regained her composure. “My lord, it’s not
proper. We hardly know each other and are not yet betrothed.”

He pulled up the sleeves of his tunic. “A detail
easily remedied, my lady. Do you mind if I wash my hands before dinner?”

Before she could react, he dipped his hands in her
bath, caressed her knee, brushed the skin of her thigh. Delicious heat coursed
through her entire body. He seemed to enjoy her confusion as he swept the
length of her folded arms with the back of one finger.

Lifting her chin with the crook of one finger, he bent
and softly kissed her lips.

Melusine melted into the bath water, waves of heat
swelled and washed over her. His smooth, soft lips teased hers. Her mouth
relaxed and opened under his. She let him gently probe her mouth then claim it
as his own. Dear Goddess, she was lost.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

I get a kick out of character interviews. I love getting to know more about heroes and heroines. What they like. What makes them tick. I enjoy a character with attitude or a secret or charm oozing from his or her pores. Take Sawyer Masterson, for example. He's going to talk to us today.

Me: Hi Sawyer.

S.M: Hi Miz Vonnie. Here, wanna hold my frog? His...his name is Scream. He gets lost in the house or the car and then eberbody screams.

S.M.: Oh, yeah. I go widing wif him lots. And I take my af'ta'noon nap in his big bed. He...he let me nap dere after Mommy got sick with cancer. I was sad 'cause Mommy was too sick to play wif me. Unkie Storm, he let me sleep dere and he weed me stories and showed me how to tie knots in rope. Do you like books, Miz Vonnie?

Me: Well, yes. Yes I do. What kind of books do you like?

S.M: Well, I got all the Courious George Books and Doctor Seuss books too, but...but you know what? He's not really a doctor 'cause he don't take care'a sick people.

S.M: (His eyes light up.) Yeah! Superman. Wachel, she's my mommy's nurse, made me a superman cape with a BIG "S" on the back for Superman Sawyer. I wund through the house with it on and "save the day."

Me: Oh, I bet you do.

S.M: Do you think I'm smart, Miz Vonnie? My mommy says I'm the smartest boy in the whole wide world and pro'bly the smartest boy in Texas, too. Miz Noella says I smart 'cause I drink all my milk when I get done eatin'. (Rubs his stomach) All dat milk fills in the cracks dat the food makes.

“Unkie Storm!
I’m all clean fwom my baf.” Sawyer streaked onto the patio wearing Sponge Bob
pajamas, a book in his grasp and his hair still wet from his bath. Storm held
out his arms for his nephew, who shot into them. He loved the feel of this
child in his arms.

If Pilar had
her way, Sawyer might be the closest he came to being a father. Although she
promised, insisted even, she’d help raise the boy if something happened to
Sunny, Pilar made it quite clear getting “big with child” and “changing
disgusting diapers” was not in her future.

“Mommy got me a
new Georgie book.” Sawyer wiggled and grunted and settled into Storm’s lap. He
held the book in front of Storm’s face, waving it back and forth. “Will you
wead it to me?”

“I didn’t hear
the magic word.” Storm gave the child a stern look.

“Oops. Sowwy.
Will you please wead it to me?”

Sunny lowered
herself into a chair next to Jackson. “Does Unkie Storm have a choice?” She
laughed softly.

Jackson reached
out and took her hand, bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. “You always were
beautiful in the moonlight.”

Sunny’s eyes
opened wide. “Well, aren’t you just full of compliments tonight.”

Jackson winked.
“Darlin’, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

“Okay,
grown-ups. Time to be quiet while I read Curious
George Goes to the Beach.”

Sawyer laid his
head against Storm’s chest. “I wuv you, Unkie Storm.”

Storm kissed
the child’s dark hair, inhaling the smell of the child’s shampoo and savoring
that sense of contentment he always felt when holding this little fellow. “I
love you, too, son.”